Melilla Leader Optimistic for Border Reopening, Renewed Morocco Relations in 2022

De Castro is "optimistic" and wants things to return "to normal" with Morocco and that good neighborly relations resume, according to COPE Melilla. "There is a clear will for close cooperation," he says, adding that "Spanish and European diplomacy must continue to promote common negotiation channels in this regard."

The president of the autonomous city recalled the "essential place" occupied by the border with Morocco "for family, fraternal, economic, humanitarian or security reasons," deploring "the massive entry of more than 12,000 people into Ceuta" which "shook the autonomous city, mobilized Spain and alerted Europe." This episode which "leaves a painful and indelible memory" has drawn the attention of the international community to the need to protect and secure the borders of Ceuta and Melilla "by European institutions."

"We are the southern border of Spain and, consequently, of Europe. For migrants, reaching Ceuta or Melilla means reaching Europe. This reality requires considering immigration as a European issue," he said, specifying that since the migration crisis in May, "Madrid and Brussels have understood, perhaps better than ever, that defending Ceuta and Melilla is defending Spain and Europe."